Chomping YCND birthday cake

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"We have to go out of here and build a mass YCND. Already we have a paid-up membership of 6,000, and probably many more unpaid. This year more than last is critical if we are going to build YCND."

That's how Annajoy Davidson introduced one part of this year's YCND conference and that's how we felt when we were chomping YCND's 1st Birthday cake.

Adults Over 200 delegates and observers met in London for the YCND conference in an atmosphere free from adults and stifling bureaucratism.

For those of us who have suffered the stagnation of the LPYS conference, this was like a breath of fresh air.

We were absolutely free to make points of information, move emergency resolutions. Despite a packed agenda we had nomnations and hustings from the floor for the National Committee and we went en masse on the Sunday to the demonstration on the Falkland Islands.

Last year's conference was hostile to those on the left. This year there was much wider critical discussion, mainly from supporters of Class Fighter and Revolution.

The most important decisions made were that YCND should be autonomous from CND. Last year, conference passed a resolution that the age limit should be 25. CND, quite unilaterally and with no consultation with YCND put it down to 21, overruling the conference - the sovereien body of YOND.

Feeling over this was for mere helming condemnation AND in a de soul make i our own deviaos and polis and that ines hore no richi to overruke us as well (YCND National Committee member)

YOPs schemes, at school and in colleges to build local activities and above all to contact the LPYS National Committee to remind them of the LPYS 1981 Confer' ence decision to affiliate to CND and to encourage them to fulfill this role not as a paper policy but by action While CND invited other groups, including the Young Tories to send a speaker, it was only the LPYS and Schools Against the Bombs who bothered to reply.

A major issue was how YCND should relate to other political groupings and how political YCND should be.

The conference did mark a major development in political consciousness. On Sunday a debate was held on what the slogan should be on the main YCND banner on the Youth Peace Festival scheduled for September.

The siogan put forward was No Cruise - No SS20s' but this was overwhelmingly thrown out and conference welcomed more the slogan 'No Cruise - Jobs Not Bombs'.

On the Falklands the conference agreed demands for the withdrawal of the British Fleet and no war with Argentina, suspending the conference agenda to participate in the demonstration organised by CND.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the day was the elections. Discontent had been displayed because nominations had closed in December with the result that for many of the positions there was only one person standing.

A proposal for a postal ballot in three months time was opposed by Class Fighter supporters in favour of taking nominations from the floor and proceeding to hustings and an election.

This procedure was adopted, and a Class Fighter supporter, myself, was elected to the National Committee.

FUNO

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FIGHTING FOR all for lobour movement solidarity - 3 of so to sell